Cattle Market Pulse

La Junta Livestock Commision Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, October 20, 2021

3,786 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest La Junta Livestock Commision report →

light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $149.95/cwt +0.66 vs last sale · ≈ $943/hd at 629 lb · 243 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $147.92/cwt +4.12 vs last sale · ≈ $985/hd at 666 lb · 211 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $154.12/cwt -1.14 vs last sale · ≈ $887/hd at 575 lb · 210 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,786 3,421 3,788
Feeder cattle 3,336 2,314 3,238
Slaughter cattle 150 192 200
Replacement cattle 300 915 350

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared with last Wednesday: Steer calves 300 to 400 lbs mostly steady, 400 to 550 lbs 3.00 to 5.00 higher 550 to 700 lbs 1.00 to 3.00 higher. Heifer calves under 500 lbs steady to 1.00 higher, over 500 lbs 1.00 to 3.00 higher. Yearling feeder steers and heifers mostly steady. Slaughter cows 1.00 lower. Slaughter bulls steady. Demand moderate to good.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
335 335 2 219.00 $219.00 $734 +3.13
355–388 376 41 191.00–201.00 $195.56 $735 -10.03
417–446 430 57 174.00–184.00 $179.11 $770 +5.57
451–498 479 68 165.00–174.00 $168.33 $806 -5.14
512–547 529 128 155.00–167.00 $161.80 $856 -6.14
563 fancy 563 23 160.50 $160.50 $904 -3.50
567–596 577 187 149.50–158.50 $153.34 $885 -0.10
608–646 unweaned 629 243 145.00–154.00 $149.95 $943 +2.57
654 fancy 654 97 153.50 $153.50 $1,004 —
650–698 unweaned 676 114 141.00–147.00 $143.18 $968 -0.62
708–720 unweaned 711 77 135.50–141.00 $136.74 $972 —
767–795 unweaned 776 23 138.00–139.00 $138.69 $1,076 —
844 844 21 150.50 $150.50 $1,270 —
854–898 878 27 143.50–148.50 $145.66 $1,279 -2.82
913 913 13 135.50 $135.50 $1,237 -2.18
997 997 25 132.25 $132.25 $1,319 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
388 388 38 186.00 $186.00 $722 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310 310 12 159.00 $159.00 $493 +3.74
385–394 392 15 147.00–150.00 $147.79 $579 -7.21
430–442 439 18 144.00–148.00 $147.13 $646 -0.56
445 fancy 445 3 153.00 $153.00 $681 —
464 fancy 464 24 152.00 $152.00 $705 -2.00
472–496 485 72 144.00–151.00 $146.18 $709 +4.67
500–537 518 186 133.50–143.50 $139.04 $720 +3.34
552–591 568 179 130.50–138.00 $133.67 $759 -3.23
603–628 unweaned 613 172 137.50–141.50 $139.72 $856 +5.21
650–696 unweaned 660 36 124.00–128.00 $126.45 $835 -5.21
738 unweaned 738 7 137.00 $137.00 $1,011 —
800 800 26 139.00 $139.00 $1,112 —
883 883 30 133.00 $133.00 $1,174 -2.00
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
422 422 11 135.00 $135.00 $570 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
386 386 7 142.00 $142.00 $548 -3.00

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
446 446 16 160.50 $160.50 $716 —
537 537 5 138.00 $138.00 $741 —
627 627 3 126.00 $126.00 $790 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
905–1375 1179 80-85% 18 50.00–59.00 $54.25 $640 —
1070–1545 1249 80-85% 12 59.00–64.00 $61.35 $766 +6.31
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
615–1035 912 85-90% 15 34.00–43.00 $39.32 $359 —
1100 1100 85-90% 1 55.00 $55.00 $605 —
960–1270 1143 85-90% 3 43.00–46.00 $44.61 $510 -9.15
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1350–1700 1485 75-80% 5 63.00–67.00 $64.28 $955 —
1385–2195 1591 75-80% 4 54.00–62.00 $58.50 $931 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1510–1863 1726 6 72.00–79.00 $75.68 $1,306 —
1490–2335 1923 16 81.00–85.50 $82.94 $1,595 -4.70
2085–2205 2145 2 87.00–88.00 $87.51 $1,877 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1003–1630 1204 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 145 51.00–63.50 $58.77 $708

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Reading this report

What does "Medium and Large 1" mean?

USDA feeder grades describe frame size and muscle thickness, not quality of the individual animal. "Medium and Large" is the frame score; the number is muscle (1 = heaviest muscled). "Medium and Large 1–2" pens mix both muscle scores — common across the Southeast.

What is $/cwt?

Dollars per hundredweight — per 100 lb of animal. A 500-lb calf at $450/cwt brings 5 × $450 = $2,250. Lighter cattle usually bring more per cwt but less per head.

Why are some prices per head?

Bred cows, cow-calf pairs, and some replacement classes sell by the head, not by weight. We show those exactly as USDA reports them — a $/head figure is never converted into $/cwt on this site.

Where do these numbers come from?

From the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service's Livestock Market News — federal reporters at the sale. We publish each report in full and link the official USDA document at the top of the page.